Premonstratensians or Premonstrants

is the name of a monastic order which was founded at Premontre (Lat. Praemomstratum), in the diocese of Laon, France, about 1120, by St. Norbert of Cleves, afterwards archbishop of Magdeburg, with a view to restore the discipline of the regular canons, which had greatly deteriorated. The order followed the rule of St. Augustine, and was confirmed by popes Honorius II and Innocent III. The ground on which the order was established was given to St. Norbert by the bishop of Laon, with the approbation of Louis the Gross, king of France, who gave the Premonstratensians a charter of privileges. The place was called Praemonstratum, because it was pretended that the Blessed Virgin herself pointed out (praemonstravit) beforehand the site for the principal house of the order. According to these legendary authorities, the members of the order were at the same time commanded to wear a white habit, and consequently the White Canons wore a white cassock and rochet and a long white cloak. The abbots never wore pontificals; and any member promoted to the cardinalate or popedom retained his habit. At the time of the founding of the order St. Norbert had thirteen companions, but as the popes and kings of France granted it many privileges, and were very liberal to the Premonstratensians, they rapidly increased, and counted among their number many persons of distinguished birth, deep piety, and great scholarship. In the early history of the order there was such strict adherence to the rule of poverty that they had nothing they could call their own but one ass, which served them to carry wood, cut down by them every morning and sent to Laon, where it was sold to purchase bread; but in a short time they received so many donations, and built so many monasteries, that thirty years after the foundation of this order they had above a hundred abbeys in France and Germany. The order has likewise given the Church a great number of archbishops and bishops. It once had 1000 abbeys and 500 nunneries (until 1273 their monasteries were double, a house of women always adjoining the convent of men), but it is now the mere skeleton of what it was. Of the sixty-five abbeys which they had in Italy not one now remains. These monks, vulgarly called White Canons, went first to England in the year 1146, where the first monastery, called Newhouse, was built in Lincolnshire by Peter de Saulia, and dedicated to St. Martialif. In the reign of Edward I, when that king granted his protection to the monasteries, the Premonstratensians had twenty-seven houses in different parts of the country. They were commonly called "White Friars." They had six monasteries in Scotland-four in Galloway, one at Dryburgh, and one at Ferne, in Ross-shire. They had also several houses in Ireland. In England their churches and conventual buildings were at Eastby, Leiston, Bayham, Wendling, and Eggleston. They were very irregular in plan, the greater portion of the minster being aisleless and the transept unimportant, as they eschewed all processions. There is a fine ruin at Ardaines, near Caen which gives a vivid illustration of the farming arrangements of the order-homely and retired lovers of the country, and enterprising farmers. The principal houses were Torre, East Dereham, and Hales Owen. They carried the almuce over the right arm; the Canons of St.Victor wore it like a tippet round the neck. See Fosbroke, Ancient Monachism (see Index); Herzog, Real-Encykl. 12:82 sq.; Helyot, Hist. des Ordres, s.v.